So I will honestly say I think I am being a little bit of a product whore. I don't think everything Nars does in amazing, but I do find myself liking most of their product line over a lot of other companies. Their prices hurt though. So when I pick something up from Nars, I make sure I only want it in that shade until I have used it all up.

I have tried a couple different highlighters, mostly in a liquidy type form, and I wanted to like them, but they seems tacky as they dried. They also wore down a little weird. They wouldn't fade or rub off, they would sort of cake and smudge in a ripple like fashion on my skin. So I was in the market looking for an actual powder highlighter. Also I think this is helpful to use more powders than creams if you have an oily skin type. It is my opinion take it with a grain of salt. It does look a little golden on, but I find that yellowish and champagne tone compliment my skin tone unlike pink highlighters.

Now to review the actual product. If you have never used a Nars powder blush before, then you are in for a treat. They apply smoothly. They are finely milled and pigmented. They blend extremely well. I love the simple matte black packaging, that kind of packaging attracts me. As a for this highlighter, I really love it. It has a nice smooth shimmer. The color works well for my skin tone a little goldeny, I just have to be careful how much I put on. It is a little hard to see since I am pale, and a little goes a long way. I can trust if I have put it on using a bathroom mirror, and I cannot see it, then that is plenty. If I can see it, I know I have put too much on. I wore this recently to an event, and I was complimented multiple times on how much happier and glowier I /my skin seemed.

A fun trick, use a damp brush to apply your highlight and blush where you normally do then blend, once dry/soaked in, apply the same blush and highlighter as a powder with a powder brush. This will give you a longer lasting blush/highlight but it will also intensify the color and pop of the blush and highlight. It is a nice trick if you have oily skin and have difficulty with creams.

::EDIT 11/08/2012:: I love the color of this I mean really it is a wonderful highlighter in my opinion, But some how I missed that it contains Bismuth Oxychloride. It isn't enough to actually make me itch, but it is enough to cause my skin to break out exactly where I put this. :/ Taking off one lip for this reason. I am also parting with the blushes that I love. Damn you Bismuth, damn you.

This is a stunning and unique highlighter. In the pan it appears as a slightly golden-yellow off-white color, but on the skin the color disappears and leaves a subtle sheen. Its texture is finer and more invisible on than most other highlighters. The only other one I find comparable is Lorac's "Perfectly Lit", and I like Albatross better. Perfectly Lit is more of a light translucent beige color; it also has a very finely milled texture and looks beautiful and natural on. But the glow it gives when applied just doesn't quite inspire the awe that Albatross does, not to mention that it requires a more skilled application with the right brush (I need to use a stippling brush with that one or it's too concentrated). Albatross is more foolproof and faster; I can get results in a hurry with any brush (as another reviewer said) and even with a sloppy application. It's glowy from within rather than shimmery or glittery. ELF makes a nice dupe for this, and I have that one, but since I got Albatross I don't reach for it much anymore. It is quite nice and is good for travel because it's more replaceable if it breaks, but I prefer Albatross when I want to look extra radiant. (Though I can say that the ELF one is a good dupe if you're on a budget) Like all Nars' products, this is expensive (price is the same as blushes), but I consider it a worthy splurge.

I am extremely picky when it comes to highlighters. I find that most are way too shimmery or glittery. When I stumbled across NARS Albatross at Sephora, I was quite shocked to find how much I loved it. Now, it is a staple in my daily beauty routine. It gives my skin such a nice sheen. No shimmer and no glitter, thank goodness! This is finely milled and a tiny bit goes a long way. Tapping the excess off your brush and applying with a light hand is a definite necessity. I apply it along the top of my cheekbones and sometimes on my temples, the bridge of my nose and the center of my chin as well. I find that it looks best on me when I have a tan or when I fake it with bronzing powder. I absolutely love the packaging: a sleek, black rectangular compact that I'm sure most NARS lovers are familiar with. I paid $28 for this at Sephora. A little pricey, but worth it, IMO. You get 0.16 oz. of product, but since a little goes a long way, this will definitely last you a long while. I will definitely purchase this again and again. :)

Based on all the great reviews, I was disappointed. It seems to be very popular, but it looked terrible on me. I used benefit high beam, but I wanted a powder formula, and so based on the reviews here, I bought it. I have NW10/15, and this is so unbelievably gold! It's white in the pan..what the hell happened? When you put more on, it turns into a sickly yellow. It doesns't look natural at all! I want a highlighter that subtly highlights, this did no such thing. It was so shimmery, it was on the verge of being sparkly. It was kind of expensive too. Such a let down. I threw it out and I won't buy this again.

Such a beautiful highlighter for above the cheekbones and on the inner corners of eyes. Just a pretty shimmery (not glittery) finely milled gold highlight. Can look chalky if you have dry patches of skin but otherwise not chalky at all. Very little product is needed to achieve a nice glow with this. Looks natural and not overdone. Expensive but totally worth it.

This is a-mazing! I love the fact that it dances with light, making you glow in all the right places. I love the fact that it contains no chunks of glitter, but is full of luminosity. But, what I love about it most? The fact that every time I wear Albatross I look like I've fallen from the heavens.

I went into Sephora and asked the sales girl for recommendations for a highlighter. She was excellent and took me around the store swatching highlighters from several brands. The Nars Albatross blew everything else out of the water. So many highlighters rely on sparkle and glitter. The Nars just had the loveliest, natural sheen. So subtle. She said she actually purchased several for herself in case they ever discontinue it. I absolutely love it!

I read that this is like the pressed version of MAC's vanilla pigment, which is exactly what I was looking for. I found it much more yellow on my skin rather than giving a golden sheen. It was too dark for me-I'm NC15. I think on darker skin tones this would be lovely, but one me not so much. And it altered the colors of my blushes too. Not very attractive on my pinkish very very fair skin. If you are NC 15 or lighter, get MAC vanilla pigment instead. It's gorgeous, this will be too yellow and dark.